The invention has particular utility in providing a control means for positioning a set of gears, such as gears in a vehicle transmission, and thus the invention is disclosed and described in that context. That is, with regard to tractors, it is a common occurrence that it is desirable to have the transmission gears positioned in a disengaged relation, that is in the neutral position, so that there is no drive connection between the engine and the tractor differential or drive axis. The neutral or disengaged position is desirable when the tractor is to be towed or otherwise placed in the gear-disengaged position, and the prior art already utilizes gear sets and vehicle transmissions where it is common practice to set the gears in the disengaged position.
However, there is a problem in moving the gears to either the engaged or disengaged portion, and the problem with regard to disengaging the gears arises when the force between the gears is sufficient to hold the gears in the engaged position and against the effort of disengaging those gears. When that occurs, it is common practice to endeavor to move the tractor, such as by pushing or rocking the tractor, while holding the control or lever which may create the movement of the gears for disengaging them. However, with that prior art approach, one must continuously hold the shift or control lever until the force between the gears is overcome and the gears can then be moved to the disengaged position.
With the present invention, a lever is provided for permitting the lever to be set in say the disengaging position, and the operator then need not continue to hold the lever while the rocking or pushing or driving of the tractor is occurring. With this arrangement, the gears will then automatically and immediately move to the disengaged position when the force between the gears is reduced, such as by the rocking or driving action, and the lever which is in the disengaged position will automatically move the gears for disengagement.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a control means which will automatically disengage the gears, without requiring that the operator retain his hold on the lever while the disengaging action is occurring. In accomplishing this object, a lever of a spring material is utilized, and the lever can be set so that it has energy stored therein, by virtue of spring characteristics of the lever, and thus the automatic lever action or disengaging action will occur. This permits the driver to be in any other location, rather than being only in a position of holding the lever throughout the entire disengaging process.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a simplified but sturdy and reliable control means or lever which automatically acts to disengage the gears of a set of gears or a vehicle transmission when the force between the gears is sufficiently reduced, such as by moving the gears in their driving relation, and such movement may be achieved by driving or rocking or pushing a vehicle in the event that it is transmission gears that are being maneuvered either for the disengagement or the engagement of the gears. In accomplishing this and the other objectives, the control means of this invention provides a safe mechanism for controlling the gears in that the operator need not be occupied simply with holding the lever or the like in the desired position until either engagement or disengagement is achieved.
Still further, it is an object of this invention to provide an automatic acting control means for engaging or disengaging gears of a set of gears and to do so without complex and special mechanism such as those operated by pneumatics or hydraulics or electricity or cables or linkages or the like. Further, even though no involved or expensive mechanisms are required, such as those mentioned, the control means of this invention operates under the supervision of only one person, and even that person need not be in direct contact with the central means, such as be holding a lever or the like, when the gear shifting is occurring.
Other objects and advantages have become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings: